Sen. Ted Cruz, R-Texas, answered questions before a crowd of 300 in Madison Monday as part of a final push to sway voters ahead of the state’s primary.
At Madison’s Masonic Center, Fox News host Megyn Kelly and residents asked the presidential hopeful questions on topics such as abortion and whether he would support front runner Donald Trump should he secure the GOP nomination. Gov. Scott Walker, who recently endorsed Cruz, joined the senator.
Cruz repeatedly deflected questions from Kelly on whether he would support Trump if he were the nominee, prompting Kelly to tell the audience, “I tried.”
In a March 29 town hall in Milwaukee, CNN anchor Anderson Cooper asked Cruz if he would support the GOP nominee, even if it was Trump.
“I’m not in the habit of supporting someone who attacks my wife and attacks my family,” Cruz said.
Ahead of the Wisconsin primary, Cruz has tried to prove he is capable of unifying the Republican party.
Cruz said he understands the need for unity within the party and noted that of the 17 candidates running at the beginning of the race, five of them have endorsed him, including Carly Fiorina and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush.
“That is a powerful demonstration of unity, to see candidates across the ideological spectrum coming together uniting,” Cruz said.
Cruz said he does not consider Roe v. Wade to be definitive, and that judges should not decide regulations on abortion.
Cruz stuck to his pro-life stance, including in cases of rape and incest. In such cases, he said an unborn child should not be punished for a crime they did not commit.
Kelly noted it often causes severe trauma to the mother. But Cruz said abortion harms not only the unborn child, but also the mother.
“It’s not just the children who never get a chance to live, but its also the moms who rationalize the decision.” he said. “A great many women have suffered because of the tragedy of abortion.”
